Demountable rim.



F. LOWE.

DEMOUNTABLE RIM. A PPLICATION FILED MAY29.1915.

1,216,240. Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

FREDERICK LOVTE, 0F CAMBRIDGE, 'MASSACHUSETTS DEMUNTABLE RIM.

Specification ofletters Patent.

Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

Appiication filed may 29, 1915.` sei-iai No. 31,271.

10 all 'whom t may concern: i

-Be itknowii that I, Fnijonincii Lowii, a citizen of the United States, residing at 'Cambridge in the county of Middlesex and State-ot' Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Deinountable Rims, of which the following is a speciiica tion. l

This invention relates to improvements in mountingsfor deinountable rims, suoli as are used for pneumatic tires on automobile or other vehicle wheels, this application for patent being a continuation in part of my application filed August 22, 1913, Serial No.

726,099. Such rims have hitherto.usuallyy been held in place either by a ring inserted laterally between. the rim and the felly of the wheel or by lugs bolted to the side of the telly and projecting between it and the rim. Although these arrangements are extensively iii use, neither oit them is perinanently'irm` The present invention is intended to provide a support for the rim which shall be firm and unyielding uponthe felly and capable of retaining its iirinf ness permanently, or, of being radjusted into' a firm relation in case of extraordinary ciry euinstanceskfin which such adj ustmeiit has become necessary. 4To this end the invention j irovides an angular base plate eiigaggiiig,r the side and inside of the elly and a leverlful'- crumed at one end on the base'plateat the inner corner of the telly and having its l other end of wedge shape adaptedto be fin serted between the telly and the rim, 'with j vother special devices hereinafter more` Jfully ln' demountable rims as' now' customarily constructed the lug sonietiiliies vbecomes bent outward, and particularly described.

when the bolt holding itis also beiitfthe rim is thereafter not supported rigidly.

Then constant bending'or deforming of the rim occurs, atecting the lite of therim id-y versely 'and by the'constan-t bending ofthe metal introducing otherv undesirable characteristics of operation. The bending absorbs power which is wasted in heating the rim and insoine eases thereis also .an unpleasant squeaky noise. The ring system.

of holding a rim in place is subject to the 'inherent disadvantage that it closes the spaces between the riiii and felly against circulation of air and thus facilitates heating of the tire; andas the ring does not support theriin with absolute firmness except where not att-ached iiriiilyto these lugs the4 ring is liable to incessant slight bending under the stresses 'constantly acting through` they riiii,'while the wheel -is riiiining.` Thein vention provides ii structure in which the stresses playing between the rim and the .it is backed b v lugs, and as it isl telly pass directly through a lblock (the 1 wedge end of the lever) which acts as a firm and uiibendnble strut between the telly andthe rim, having` its telly bearing on the band which encircles the felly, thus f-v 1While the wedge 'y ordiiig a firm support.

is, asa practical matter, so sharp that 'the component force tending to eject tliewedge, is not as great as the friction 'resisting ejection, nevertheless the structure is also such that the ejeoting force, e. that part of the` pressure which becomes converted into thrust on the wedge in the direction parallel to the axis ot the wheel', is Aresisted even in case of the absence 4ot sufficienty ifrietioii und is changed vin direction so that it also is ultimately borne on the telly rigidly and constantly, being supported on so .Y

the angle plate so thatiits effect is to tighten f it and thoffotlier parts rather than to loosenY any of them; 'lhere is also provision for adjustment ofthe. wedge which enables the parteI :ilwiii-'s to be brought into the relation to each. other in which this condition is ""'establisheih by pressing the wedge farther in between the ielly band and the rim until the bearing is iiiade between the ielly band and the rim as above described. i

in the. accompanying drawings, which illustrate'an embodiment ot the invention,

Figure i is 'a section through a rim and its mounting;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of. a detail, the

angle plate; and

Fig. 3 is a .side elevation of another detail, `the lever-wedge. f

eferringto the drawings, 10 represents the spoke, 1l the'felly and 12 ythe demouiitable rim= ot a Wheel, the telly being inclosed by a peripheral plate or telly band 13 which` affords a bearing surface for the rim and4 vlever-wedges are inserted laterally, a'. e., in

the direction parallel to the axis of the wheel, between the rim and said band 13. The arm portion of the lever-wedge illustrated is marked 15, and the fulcrum 16, the e(power to operate the wedge being appli through a bolt 1T, nut 18 and washer 19 located between the fulcrum and the wedge. The fulcrum consistsy of a pocket or recess into which projects a spur 20 arranged at the end of the level' that is remote from the wedge, the recess being in the angle plate 21 that is mounted on the side 'of the wheel. As represented in the drawing,

vthis fulcrum recess 16 is located so far from 'the periphery of the rim as to be just beyond the inner face of the felly, toward the axis. and the late 21 is angular, as seen in Fig. 1, having a portion formed to enge the said inner face ofthe felly and aving also a spur 21 which projects ob,` liquely into the felly. The other portion of the plate 2l, the shape of which is seen in Fig. E2, lies on the side of the felly and extends toward the rim, near which it is fastened by two screws 22 which pass through it into the felly. Thus this plate, in addition to being held by the screws, has an 'angular bearing upon the felly and a spur entering thc interior angular-ly. Pressure coming upon thi` plate through the fulcrum point 16 tends to turn the plate around the adjacent square corner of the folly, and thus results merely in throwing that por tion ofthe plate 21 which is under. in the drawing, and from which the spur projects. the more solidly against the inner .surface of the felly. This pressure of the part of the angle plate 21 which extends parallel tothe axis of the wheel. pressing against thev inner face of the fclly 11. etfectuallv prevents the whole plate from rotating. in cluding that part which is radial and which would have a tendency to he swung outward in direction of withdrawing the screw, were it not for the part whiclrxtcnds parallel to the axis.

'lhe plate Q1 preferahl \v has anopen slot 23 at the top` for passage of the bolt 17 and the lever-wedge has a slot 24 for the passage of the same, surrounded by a spherical swings about its fulcrum 16, and the wedge portion 14 is driven between the rim 12 and the band 13 until the desired position has -been reached. The wedge portion is formed with a concave uter surface adapted to fit approximatel 'the shape of the xn, and

, with a slight y convex inner surface, or at least with the point of the wed thinned at a more acute angle than the od ofy the wedge, with the result that the y of 'the wedge, as distinguished from the point of the wedge, always finds a `bearing on the band 13 whatever be the degree to which t has been tilted by swinging around the point 16 as a center while being driven inward. This bearing is definitely inside the edge of the band 13, and the pressure from the rim, when the vehicle is in use, passes throu h it to the band 13 andso to the folly. vI `the component o the 'rims reure resolved in the horizontal dinction suicient toy overcome the static friction, expulsion of the wedge will be resisted hy'the bolt 17, whose nut has a perfect bearing on thelov'erg I throughfthe spherical washer 19 andhy i angle late and support 21, 21 aa rim, carrying its tire, is in in thecourse of-which operation t lever' ich after ascribed. Obviously the outer mils" face of the wedge, which a the shape of the rim, shou what lar r radius of curvature'than the rim or e se the result above the bearing occurs definitely inside of the edge of the lmnd13,.wil1 never be attained,

for the wedge will engageathe outer purtfii" the rim and the pressure from the rim not 5e sustained firmly or with solid' i on the felly band 13.l Under the stre o use' however, the vextremeportionsV of the rim may apply pressure to the wedge in the direction of the arrow and at a point outside its bearing on the band 13.y The invention,l in oneof its aspects, is concerned with the distribution and resistance of suche stress, abnormal in -the present' invention,Y but which, in lugs as heretofo made, hasA had the etl'ect of bending the hg orA its bolt, or both,outward into a shape where it doesnot afford a permanent support'forjthe rim and cannot h v anv means belmade' to aonl such a support. In the construction illustratml," owing to the integral character of the, leverwedge element, whatever pressure is exerted 'Y by the tire throu the rim yob` bythe'amw, a er sroxiintely have` a somet specified, that 10a 'ing the rimy far enough to engage the outer part of the wedge, tends to turn the wedge and lever about the bearing of the wedge on the'band 13. This incidentally presses the previously mentioned fulcrum linward to y the right, as representedin the drawings, and this .1n :im serves merely to seat the n have to pull the screws 22 out of their holes plate vE21. more rinly against the telly instead of tending to pull it out ot' position. Whatever tendency this pressure at 16 might and bears against the inner face of the telly.

y Where this plate does not happen to come j may easily be formed by drilling a hole in4 l more firmly opposite a spoke, it may be extended for a long distance inward as indicated by the drawing Fig. 1. The spur 21 also helps maintain this plate in position. This spur the platev2l at the proper angle, with the aid of a jig, to receive this pin. When the plate has been put into position, and has beenv fastened by the screws 22,'it is secure and affords a support such that no stress vapplied through the tire and rim can bend the lever-wedge outward from its adjusted position in which it lirmly supports the rim. The wedge is at the same time adjustable inward to any desired further degrec, becauseof the space existing between the plate 21 and the lever arm 15,'to accommodate rims which may vary slightly in di'- mension or form. I

If the pressure of the rim, upon the wedge portion chances to fall outside of the line of contact between the latter and the band 13, Ato the left thereof in Fig. 1, as in the above described abnormal case, the result is a turning moment about said line of Contact;

and. so is pressed to the right, instead of ra dially toward the axis, and 'has merely the elliect of seating the angular plate 21 yet upon the felly. Thus tendency lo displace that pla-tc toward the axis is avoided.A lt is obvious that the surfaceof the wedge next to the felly is not necessarily a curve,ibut might be a convex angular surlace with the same effect. The location of thev fulcrum 16 beyond or on the inner side the telly, thus obtaining a relatively long kleverage for holding the wedge in p la'ce, might result in a tendency to pullthe screwsll out, but the bearing of the plate Q1 on the inside of the telly proot thcinside ol i tents those screws. The spurQl also aids in his, and in holding the. plate in position against any other stresses that may occur in use.

l claim as my invention l. .A mount for deinountable rims, compri'sinlg a plate fixed in the felly of the wheel and bearing on the side and inside thereof; a lever ulcrumed thereon at a point inside ofthe inmostextent ofthe yside of the telly; -xneans drawing said lever toward` the telly; and a wedge adapted to-he drawn by the lever between the felly and the rim,

2. A mount for demountable rims, comprising a plate fixed on the side of the felly,

vand having aispui integral therewith and projecting obliquely intothe felly ina direction from the inner toward the outer sides thereof; a lever fulcrumed on said plate; y

means drawingthe lever toward the side of the telly, and a wedge pressed thereby between the telly and rim.

3. A mount for demountable rims, coinprising a plate fixed on the telly of a wheel,

and bearing on the side and inside thereof,

and having a spur projecting obliquely into the felly; alever fulcrumed on the plate at a point inside of the inmost extent of the side of the telly; means drawing .said lever toward the telly; and a wedge pressed between the telly and rim by the lever.

4. A mount for demountable rims, comprising a lever ulcrumed beside the telly, a wedge held by the leverat its outermost end, and means acting on the lever between said fulcrnin and wedge to draw it toward the felly, and thus draw the wedge in between the ielly and rim; the wedge being so acute that it .normally linds bearing on one sideV against the rim and on the other side against the wheel over the cylindrical face of the' felly, and so that the static `riction approxi- `-with a bolt piercing the :telly and engaging the middle part of the lever.

6. A mount for demountable' rims, comprising a lever'fulcrumed at one of its ends near the inner edge of the elly; said lever being at its other end formed integrally into a wedge adapted to be insertedbetween the felly and the rim; combined` with a bolt piercing the felly and engaging the middle part of the lever; said wedge being convex toward the elly and concave toward the rim,

whereby a line contact is obtained between the wedge and wheel about which a. turning moment in the Wedge and lever arm results from radial pressure of the rim.

7. A mount for demountable rims coxnprising a lever ulcrumed at one end against an abutment on a side of a felly and extending thence outward, with a space between los lit and the side of the folly; saidlever being solved, et said fulcrum, into a pressure apformed at its other` end into a wedge adapted proximately normal tothe side of the folly. 10 y to be inserted between the folly and the rim; Signed by me 4at Boston, Mass., this und means holding said lover ltoward thehventyjourthday of Ma 1915.

Iffelly; said wedge beng'formed vconvex ,F RED RICK toward the felly` whereby line contact of Vitnesses: A i

the wedge with the wheel is madeai1klpres' Emnm'i E. KENT', sure'oi the rim outside of said line 'is' ANNA B: LINDSAY. 

